The Manaslu circuit trek is one of the best treks in Nepal. It takes you around the Manaslu Conservation Area and leads to a breathtaking view of the eighth-highest mountain in the world.

This trek can be a great alternative if you’ve already been to the Annapurna Circuit. Manaslu Circuit Trek is a 13-day trek that starts at Maccha Khola, ends at Beshi Sahar, and can be extended to 22 days with an additional side trek to the Tsum valley.

Flanked by the Annapurna’s to the West and Ganesh Himal to the East, Manaslu is one of the most graceful of the 8000-meter giants.

Unlike the Everest Base Camp Trek, which is flooded with trekkers from around the world; the Manaslu circuit trek usually sees fewer people along its route. It is remote and physically demanding yet culturally enriching and scenically uplifting.

The circuit takes you from the steamy lowlands with their rice and millet terraces through the mighty gorges of the Budi Gandaki with its turquoise waters and amazing waterfalls. Suspension bridges in the Manaslu trek are in a league of their own for both length and height, and the yearly monsoon often washes minor bridges away, leaving trekkers to use semi-submerged rocks.

Only opened to a maximum of 400 trekkers in 1992, this trek still feels like a pioneering expedition. If you want to know what trekking in the 1980s was like, the Manaslu circuit trek is a visual feast from start to finish, but you better be fit.

Slowly, you wind your way North to the snowbound Larkya La Pass next to the Tibetan border. The altitude here is a problem but almost forgotten with the jaw-dropping views of Manaslu. At 5,167 meters/16,952 feet, Larkya La Pass is usually snow-covered and icy. Micro crampons are often used on the descent. Trekking to the pass requires a 4 a.m. start to make the highest point before the winds come, usually around mid-morning.

From the pass looking back the way you have come gives a clear view, but by far, the most amazing view comes after you have left the pass and walked along a corridor to the west.

A great glacial cirque bursts into view. A stupendous wall created by Cheo Himal, Himlung Himal, Nemjung, Gyaji Kang, and Kang Guru casts down a stream of glaciers while Annapurna II rises ahead. This view alone makes the trek worthwhile. Magical Nepal can arrange your all-inclusive 13-day trek. The trek can be done on a teahouse unless you want to go off-route, where camping is the only option.